Jie Fang, a boy whose name is synonymous with "liberation," has a peculiar fascination with gunpowder. He accidentally brings trouble upon his family one day when he asks his father to paint a picture of his favorite war hero, Dong Cunrui, below the portrait of Chairman Mao. Despite his father's loyal devotion to the Party, the newly-drawn painting of the famous bomber who sacrificed himself for his country is interpreted as an attempt to blow up the chairman in a counter-revolutionary act. When his father is taken away, Jie Fang faces bullying from a clique of classmates. As the feud between them escalates, Jie Fang's unexpected discovery of a bomb leads him to continue exploring his unusual affinity for gunpowder, and what it means to truly be a "hero."